Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Lucy's "Be prepared" stance

Lucy, our very own paranoid Dutch bunny, is not fond of ...
... well, many things. Primarily that involve being picked up.
Or touching her - because that's just too darn close to being picked up.


When you enter some invisible security perimeter radius around her, she is prepared to bolt. And this is one fast and smart bunny. We swear she can read minds. Just think about picking her up and she will stay out of your reach, eyes always watching you (like one of those paintings).

If Lucy sees you pick up another bunny (like for weekly exam and grooming), she moves her alert status to Defcon 1. She dives for shelter in the corner of the room blocked by a heavy wooden desk and which gives her two exit routes away from the humans. She stays under there, watching the human feet traipsing around the room. When she feels the alert has passed (like when we've left the room), she will venture out to check out what havoc we have wreaked in cleaning their pen and brushing her fellow bunnies.

But if it turns out the human is bringing treats, this stance also lets her run towards the reward.

4 comments:

  1. Aaaawww, Lucy, you're just like my Keating. I think you might both be working for the CBIA (Central Bun Intelligence Agency), that's why you're always on alert.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOL! My bunny also knows when I'm about to pick her up - I think she can hear my heartrate pick up (since it's always a struggle) and that I tense up. Bunradar!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Haha! Poor Lucy. My Ashy is like that. Total paranoia. It has faded over time but we used to say that he was convinced we were going to eat him. "I will be eaten. I am sure of it. If not today, tomorrow." "Ok, I wasn't eaten today, tomorrow for sure." Now, whenever I given him a good squish (I can't help it, he's too fluffy), he looks so confused. It's like he's trying to process why the predator snatched him, cuddled him, but then let him free. Don't you worry though, he is always rewarded with a treat for letting me love him.

    ReplyDelete